Heart's Desire
by wasApatheticLambchoppi
Summary: Harry Potter, icon of all that is 'Light and good', has lost everything that is dear to him, except his memories, and even those have begun to fade. With his heart's deepest desire overriding all else, he's sent to a new place, a place that seems to have everything he has ever wanted. Or does it? Full detailed summary on chapter 2.
1. Prologue

Prologue

_I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity._

_-Edgar Allen Poe_

* * *

_Pit._

_Pat. _

_Pit. _

_Pat._

_Pitter Pitter. _

_Pat. _

Great big raindrops fell from the sky, splashing on all surfaces and creating a song the physically young, but mentally old wizard couldn't help but reminisce and close his eyes to. It reminded him of late nights with his friends in the Gryffindor common room. Hermione would nag about how they shouldn't have procrastinated, but all three of them knew it was no good. Both he and Ron would wait till the last minute no matter what their 'Mione would say.

A silent tear fell down his pale, dirty face. He made no move to wipe it away however. He found no shame or want to erase a sign of his loss. Every step, every thought, every _tear, _was given and made for those he had failed to save. It was the very least that they deserved.

Thick leather boots made no sound as they padded down the crumbling hallways of Hogwarts. Even after the Battle, the powerful magic within the great castle managed to keep it upright, if not a bit worse for wear. The portraits had all long since been destroyed or the inhabitants had moved to wherever portraits go when they find their frame unsafe. Seeing that the many staircases were still all mostly unstable, Harry wandlessly levitated himself up, a ghost of a smile lighting his youthful features as pleasant memories of better times washed over him.

As he passed the third floor corridor he thought of his first adventure with both Ron and Hermione. That Cerebus truly had been a frightening creature at the time. _I hope you're pleased with yourselves. We could all have been killed - or worse, expelled. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to bed. _Even after nearly two decades Hermione's words never failed to force a chuckle out of him.

Soon enough he finally made it to the seventh floor, but not without a few more laughs over the old days with Ron and Hermione. The now ripped tapestry was touched lovingly by thin, scarred fingers, but memories would not stop him once he was so close to his goal. With a clear image of what he wanted sent to his old friend Hogwarts, a tall, thick dark wooden door appeared and opened without a single touch. Harry silently walked in, unaware of eyes trailing after him.

* * *

A clear blue sky appeared from above, not a cloud in sight. No animals or trees could be seen in any direction, and the room was completely, _blissfully,_ silent. Bright green grass was as far as any eye had the ability to see, and lily flowers could be found scattered amongst the green. A single white flower floated into Harry's hand, and he relished in the calm and peace he had been gifted in that moment.

_This _was what he needed today. This was what he wanted _forever_.

He gently pocketed the flower and slowly strode up the only hill within the room. Sweet spring air tingled all his senses and he honestly couldn't remember the last time he felt so at peace. So _unafraid. _Finally, he made it to the object he had been seeking. An object his brilliant mentor had warned him of so long ago.

_It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live, remember that. _

He lightly caressed the old mirror's golden edge with his fingertips, Dumbledore's warning ringing clearly in his mind. _But what if all we have left are dreams my old friend? What do we do when reality overshadows the greatest of nightmares with it's own horrors?_

It was times like these that Harry wished he still had someone he could ask advice from. Even now, after so many years of being on his own, he was no more wise or intelligent than he was when he had first met Dumbledore by that sinful mirror.

_And...what if I __want __to forget, or have already forgotten? What then you omniscient fool? _

Indecision coursed through his veins, but deep down he had known, and _still_ knew what he wanted to do. He had fought much longer and harder than all his friends and loved ones. It had not happened all at once of course, but over the course of his thirty years he had lost them all. And now all he wanted was to see them again. To _rest. _

All he wanted was to race up and down the Quidditch pitch on his Firebolt while Oliver screamed techniques at him and the other players. All he wanted was to sit in the library while Hermione whispered her numerous study plans and tips while he and Ron joked and talked. He would even take Hermione nagging him to eat more in the Great Hall while his messy ginger friend stuffed his face and hollow stomach.

But most of all, he just wanted to see their smiling faces _one more __**time**_. Not the war-hardened or fearful ones that overcame his Occlumency shields late at night when not even a cricket dared make a sound. Not the betrayed and sorrow-filled ones that were beginning to shadow the happier ones he treasured the most. In the midst of his inner conflict, his body ceased shaking he didn't even realize had started to begin with and silent tears quit showering his thin face.

An honest smile breached pale chapped lips, one that hadn't shone on his face since his two closest friends had passed, when he had finally made his decision.

_He was going to see them again. __**Finally**_. Just as he moved to stand in front of the old, powerful mirror, a voice he had heard too many times echoed through the room.

"Hello _Harry Potter._"

* * *

Avada Kedavra eyes dilated slightly, but no other sign was made of his fear or surprise as he turned around.

"Lord Voldemort. What a _pleasant_ surprise." Crimson eyes glinted maliciously, but no other change overcame the Dark Lord's face.

"Yes. Pleasant surprise indeed." Bone white hands gently caressed an equally white wand while a snake-like head tilted to the side.

"Why are you here Boy-Who-Lived? I thought you and your second in command- Penelope Clearwater was it?- would be gathering your forces to protect France." Harry's eyebrows furrowed in slight alarm, but dismissed it immediately. His allies were smart enough to evade Voldemort's Death Eater's on their way to France. No doubt Clearwater figured that the Dark Lord would work out out their plan soon.

"I have no doubts that Ms. Clearwater has led the way to France quickly and efficiently without my presence." Red eyes gleamed with something Harry couldn't quite identify at his response. Like a snake, Voldemort's hand snatched his jaw and the tips of too-long fingers pressed down on his chin as if his nails were fangs. Harry couldn't even remember when the Dark Lord got that close.

Ruby red eyes gazed down into bright green emeralds that hadn't had glasses covering them for over fifteen years. A single finger slowly stroked over his Adam's apple. It didn't move.

"How _curious. _Has the Golden Boy finally given up on his _useless_ friends? Has little Harry finally surrendered to the big bad Dark Lord?" Green eyes darkened with rage and furious magic filled the air around them. Cracks appeared in the once perfect blue sky and the light green grass became yellow and dry.

"I will _never _surrender to you Voldemort. Not now, and not _ever." _

All around them the once perfect world cracked and splintered, revealing the cold and dark underneath. The sky turned a dark reddish purple, black clouds littered the skies. The grass beneath them sputtered and died in a matter of seconds. White lightning pierced the black sea above in zigzagged lines. Dead lily petals fell from the sky like the light drizzle right before a heavy storm. Moments before they reached the heads of both men they turned black like the clouds they fell from and delicately broke apart, similar to ashes in a breeze.

The Dark Lord's eyes couldn't help but widen in surprise and _pleasure _at the darkness and ferocity in his favorite toy's soul. Oh how he would _love _to break this wonderful boy's spirit even further, to test the limits of the powerful green-eyed savior's sanity. Pain, rage, and the need to kill _burned _in the wizard's eyes. Voldemort licked his thin lips greedily. _This _was what he wanted. A _challenge_.

Suddenly, those sinful eyes widened at the devastation around them. The Dark Lord allowed himself to be pushed away and watched in rapt attention as his greatest enemy and entertainment tried to calm himself down. Just before Harry managed to make the last lily turn a lush white instead of decaying black, an unexpected strike of lightning fell down from the skies and hit the only inanimate object in the room.

The old mirror.

A split second before the blast swallowed them whole, red and green met in one final look, and all both saw was a blinding gold light.

* * *

First story like this. Please review and give me guesses on what you think will happen. :) Full summary, warnings, etc. will be on the next chapter. Hope you liked it.


	2. A Whole New World

Alright! New story out and about. I know just about everyone has done one of these stories before, but hopefully I've put an original twist on it. I actually planned on making this chapter a LOT longer, but I got sudden inspiration today, did the last half, and decided I wanted to end it with a bit of a cliffhanger. :D I'll give summary, warnings, the works now, so here ya go!

**Summary**: Harry, now 30 year old war commander and leader of the 'Light' side, has finally decided he's had enough. However, before he has the chance to do much of anything, he's whisked away to another place, a place too good to be true. And is it? Read as Harry meets people he had thought he'd never see again, fights people he had never thought he'd ever have to fight, and plays mind games with his one true equal. Will he succeed? Or will he commit the act he wanted to do when he first went to look in that mirror?

**Warnings**: First off, LOTS OF CURSING. It shouldn't be a big deal to anyone under the age of 10, but I'll add it in there anyway. I'm a big ol' potty mouth. :D Also, I don't do British writing. SO SORRY. If it really bothers you, you can sign up to be my beta and british my story up. But I don't think most care. Ummmm traumatizing stuff. Harry has been through some shit. A 16 long war will do that to anyone. And because of that, this Harry won't exactly be...sane. He's a little off, and he's done some REALLY bad stuff. I'll talk about that later though.

**What this Harry will be like**: I honestly wish everyone would do this. This Harry will be pretty much canon. HOWEVER! Because he's older and therefore wiser, he WILL be different. For one, he won't be angsty like a teenager, and he will have quite a bit of knowledge. Over his lifetime he will have learned some wicked spells and will have strategic abilities/ common sense. He just won't be book smart is all. That was always Hermione. Also, this Harry will be absolute NO BULLSHIT. He doesn't play. :D What 30 year old war hero would? I'm also making him VERY badass and pretty powerful so there. Hope you like.

**Timeframe**: I'll get into what actually happened in this universe later, probably next chapter, but just know that Harry would have been 16 in this universe if he hadn't of died. Everything else you'll learn in time. :)

**Relationships**: Harry is NOT gonna get with anyone in this new universe. Just...no. Just like in canon he WAS with Ginny (even though I hate that pairing) but this Ginny will be 15 soooooo no. Not gonna happen. If anything, he'll have a paternal love for all the copies of his loved ones.

**Harry's universe**: Like I said, canon. Up until the final battle of course. I'll get into this later, likely next chapter, but just in case you were confused, just know you'll get the info soon.

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing you can tell is Rowlings. All characters and whatnot are hers. However, I'm not gonna say I completely own this plotline because a lot of people have used it. If you're an asshole author that thinks because they thought of a fanfiction idea that its completely yours, then fuck you, because this plotline IS MINE SO GO AWAY.

Anything else that pops into your head, don't be afraid to ask about. Lots of questions will probably be answered next chapter though. Please enjoy and make sure to review! I didn't get any for first chapter, but I'd appreciate some for this one. Also, sorry for those who thought I'd update Malicious Intentions again. :D I plan on putting on 9 and 10 this weekend.

* * *

Chapter 2

A Whole New World

"And Hermione was struggling to her feet in the wreckage, and three red-headed men were grouped on the ground where the wall had blasted apart. Harry grabbed Hermione's hand as they staggered and stumbled over stone and wood.  
'No - no - no!' someone was shouting. 'No! Fred! No!'  
And Percy was shaking his brother, and Ron was kneeling beside them, and Fred's eyes stared without seeing, the ghost of his last laugh still etched upon his face."  
― J.K. Rowling, _Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows_

* * *

_What the f- _Too-green eyes snapped open immediately and a thin battle-hardened body was already standing in a combative position before he could even so much as blink.

His heart didn't skip a beat as he took in his surrounding, thin fingers constantly switching in the need to _act, _but after so many years such urges were simply ignored. Life in war wasn't easy, and Gryffindor tendencies were quite useful at times, but not always. One of those situations just happened to be when you wake up in an unknown place with a hazy memory of what happened before you passed out.

Yes, screaming and attacking the door he could tell was unlocked, but warded, even from over here would _not _be the smartest decision he had ever made. Not from a long shot.

After one more second his body relaxed, but not completely. A soldier was never entirely lax until he was in the midst of friends or after a war was over, and sometimes not even then. So far, neither were true in Harry's case. Intelligent eyes soaked up all the facts he could obtain within the small room he had been placed in.

The place was nice enough, besides the bed, which was obviously made for medical patients. He could tell it was merely a guest room of some sort. Soft browns and creams made up the coloring while the bed glowed a harsh white.

_Why would they switch the beds? How...odd. _

Beside the bed was a single nightstand which stood one, cinnamon by the looks of it, candle, and a book he recognized to be _Quidditch through the Ages. _Harry couldn't help the nostalgic smile that overcame his _clean? _face. That had been a book both he and Ron could easily admit to reading and rereading, while Hermione had only read it for a single time in first year, but not out of enjoyment, but for _educational purposes. _

_Only Hermione..._Harry thought fondly with an easy smile on his face.

Suddenly, Harry heard the soft sounds of walking with only socks or bare feet and laid the book down gently in what was hopefully the same spot it had been in. He laid back down on the bed and wordlessly and wandlessly cast a few light protective charms on himself, _just _in case they decided to attack him right when they entered.

After a few more seconds the door opened with a slight _Squeak! _and Harry smelled what he recognized to be female perfume.

_So I'm dealing with a woman. I can probably take her down physically, and magically I can outmatch most people, so I have no reason to fear. While it would be in my best interest to capture her, for I'm sure there are people here more powerful than me in both ways, and use her as leverage to escape, why would anyone wishing to harm me keep me in such accommodating quarters? And wouldn't they at least have me restrained? Something about this isn't right, and if they're allies I don't want to lose their trust. Best to act natural and kind until I learn more. _

Right before the woman reached her bedside he slowly lifted his right hand to cover the yawn he forced out of himself. Green eyes opened themselves in a way he hoped looked relaxed and sleepy and jumped at what he saw.

Standing in front of him was someone he _knew _to be dead. Someone he had wished his whole life to meet.

Someone with eyes shockingly like his own.

* * *

She was incapacitated in under five seconds.

The first two had been spent leaping out of bed, grabbing her by the neck, and _accio-ing _her wand. After that he quickly batted away her attempts at attacking him with her own wandless magic, which were admittedly quite powerful, but no match for his.

Her light green eyes he noticed weren't _exactly _like his. Instead, they had small flecks of gold and blue while his were a pure green with a dark ring around them. They stared at him angrily and with a hint of fear and confusion, a look he didn't understand coming from someone who was _obviously _an imposter- most likely a Death Eater under the orders of Voldemort to fuck with his mind.

These past few years his 'equal' had just _loved _to test his limits. So far he hadn't reached a breaking point, but based on the situation he was currently in, Tommy boy was getting pretty damn close.

Harry noticed absentmindedly that his breaths were coming out in sharp pants and his heart was beating as if he was back fighting the Basilisk in his second year again. Normally, he was able to control himself when faced with copies of past loved ones. It was one of Voldie's favorite games to play.

He would have his Death Eaters look like his old friends who had already died. You'd be surprised at what a little bit of hair and skin could do, regardless of whether it was dead or not. He didn't even want to think of how many Hermione's and Ron's he had had to kill to save his own skin.

Each time it didn't get any less horrifying and sick, but he was no longer _surprised. _Not to mention fearful.

Right now he was feeling both.

The reason being that this was the first time he had ever seen his mother in the flesh, even if it wasn't his real mum- _of course Harry, don't you _**_dare_**_ forget that. _Even if he _knew _this to be some stupid lacky Death Eater, it didn't make the woman smell any less like the flower she was named for and have a few white spots on her pale skin that were undoubtedly flour.

_He even made her look endearingly domestic? How sick can you get Voldemort? _

Suddenly, a voice he didn't recognize- _but did at the same time 'cause he just __**knew **__if Voldemort was going to do this he would make sure he smacked him twice- _echoed up to the guest room and the Death Eater's eyes tightened with anger, and still, that confusing _fear. _It wasn't the fear for one's own safety, but for another's. It was a look he had only seen on one family of Death Eater's- the Malfoy's. And that was just because they all cared for one another deeply, even more than they did for themselves.

So why was this _Lily _imposter afraid for her partner in crime? It made unbidden thoughts form in his mind; ideas that just couldn't _possibly _be true, and scenarios that you only read or saw in crazy scientific dramas. But at the same time, it filled him with a deep, overwhelming feeling that he hadn't felt in _so _very long.

Hope.

And when he looked into those glassy eyes, eyes that were holding back tears that were undoubtedly forming for the man making his way upstairs, he wanted so _badly _to believe them to be true. He _yearned _for it.

But he was more jaded and smart than that. He knew this was all most likely a sick game Voldemort's twisted mind had come up with to break Harry, but he couldn't _completely _dismiss it. If something like this were going to happen to _anybody, _wouldn't it be Harry Potter? The Danger- Attracting Rule-Bending Luckless Boy-Who-Just-Wouldn't-_Die? _

_Yes, _Harry thought to himself while gazing into eyes he so _desperately _wished to be real, _if anyone, it would be me._

* * *

Today had been a normal day to begin with.

Just like every day she woke up at 7 A.M. and went to make breakfast. After that she went through her morning routine and headed over to St. Mungos and started her part-time shift she had every summer.

Once her kids headed over to Hogwarts in September she would go back to full-time, but ever since the war started up again...well, she _had _to spend all the time she could with her kids. So Healer Preason gave her an alternative- works 3 hours for six days a week every summer in the emergency ward.

While the offer had seemed too good to be true at the time, her advisor and boss had stuck with it, so here she was. Luckiest mother in the world. So, at 8:30 she flooed over and by 12 O'clock she was home in time to make lunch.

While she would never be as good a cook as the Weasley matriarch, she wasn't as bad as her James. That man could burn water, and had proceeded to do so the first time Lily asked- _Please Lily, you __**told **__me to, you lying minx. _Let's just say that after that day Lily was made to do all cooking in the house. Lily could still kindly persuade- _You mean FORCE you she-demon!, _her husband to do all other household chores, so it all evened out.

Anyway, today at around 3:30 her kids and husband had just been sitting on the beach at their summer home that was so Unplottable _they _didn't even know where it was. All they knew was that all Potter homes were keyed into their floos at home, and that the beach house had _amazing _wards that even Dumbledore couldn't find an issue with.

It was a perfect place to spend the summers for Lily and James, who were admittedly very powerful magically, and even physically in James's case, but vulnerable while having to take care of their children, who were 12 and 13. However, as James and the kids played in the salty waves, a bright golden light all of a sudden invaded her peripheral. While she at first just assumed it was the sun, something just kept _nagging _at her, so with one last glance at her beautiful family, she hopped up and went to investigate.

The only thing she noticed was how she continuously jumped a bit when her feet strayed on the hot sand for a bit too long- nothing else of interest caught her eye. Just as she was about to call it quits and go take a nap in the warm sun, she saw it.

A much too familiar shock of black waves.

She quickly ran over, knowing that only a Potter would be allowed here without the wards acting up or someone keyed into the wards. Eventually she came across the boy, and was grateful to see no obvious signs of damage. However, as she turned him over, her eyes met pale skin that rivaled her own, but was scuffed and marked with various cuts and bruises, and lots of dirt and _blood? _

Many other people would have panicked over the sight of blood-soaked clothing and many other wounds, but Lily was a healer, war veteran, and 40 year old woman to boot. This was nothing. She knew the boy either had to be a Potter, which was impossible because all of them were dead except James and their family, or an extremely powerful wizard, even more so than Dumbledore, to get past the wards so easily. Even then, James would have been warned that they had been failing, so that wasn't possible either.

Lily just assumed that one of her close friends had keyed the kid into the wards. Other than James and herself of course, Sirius, Lupin, Peter, and Dumbledore had the power to do so. So, it wasn't impossible that that had happened.

Lily uttered a quick _scourgify _and wordlessly levitated the kid and headed up to the house to heal him. She assumed that the boy had apparated in and just hurt himself. You _could _hurt more than your physical body when apparating. One of those being, what they called, 'splinching your magic.' It didn't happen often, but for those with a core they didn't have full control over, it was definitely a possibility. However, it was rare because only children usually had cores they couldn't completely control.

That's why apparating as accidental magic was not only unheard of, because you had to have _some _measure of control, but dangerous because a child could easily splinch their magic, and if not properly treated, lose it. Extremely powerful wizards could also have this issue, and she knew for a fact that when Dumbledore first apparated, when he was 12 actually, he splinched his magic. He had been fine, but it made him realize that the Hogwarts curriculum was targeted at helping children with lower capacities of magic, so he had to gain control over it on his own.

Anyway, with thoughts of what could possibly be wrong with this boy running throughout her under active imagination, compared to the truth anyhow, she made her way up to the guest room that Sirius had claimed and laid the boy on his bed. Right after she assessed his body and found his wrist to be fractured and one of his ribs a little cracked, but nothing else seriously wrong with him, she healed both and sent a cleaning charm at his clothes, soon after fire calling one of the nurses at St. Mungos to send her one of their spare hospital beds.

Once it appeared she levitated the kid up again, chucked Sirius's bed into the living room, and laid him upon it. Finally, after she fed the boy some potions and attached an IV (the healers at Mungos called it something different, but Lily and all other muggleborns _knew _it was just an IV) she heavily sat down and decided to allow herself to just think for a moment.

Who the hell was this guy? A guy that looked like _someone _she knew with quite a bit of Potter characteristics. Without the grime Lily could see that the boy had the customary Potter hair and jaw. However, something about the rest of his face just didn't _seem_ like a Potter. Not to mention he didn't wear any glasses, which was something both of their kids shared because it was a gene Potter's could _never _escape.

For some reason, a part of Lily wanted to get closer to this boy. Something about him was _achingly _familiar, but she just couldn't tell _what. _So she got up, and slowly crept closer.

She could now see that he had the beginnings of crows feet and lines in between his eyebrows, meaning he wasn't as young as she thought. Maybe mid-twenties at the most.

Just as she was about to lift his eyelid to check his eye color, her wonderful, but _horribly timed _husband decided to scream, "Lils! Where art thou dear Lily-pad?! Us men and small woman require nourishment. Feed our bellies!"

She couldn't help but roll her eyes at James. Ever since she had forced him to read a few of Shakespeare's works he _refused _to not speak like someone from that time. Idiot.

So, with one last final sigh and tightening of her lips, she headed downstairs, not noticing that right after the door shut, her newest guest opened his eyes.

* * *

_This can't be happening. _

Lily stared with horror as the man she had _kindly _decided to let into her home- _without warning anyone at all of course because she's so fucking stupid!- _pushed her onto the bed without care and mumbled an _incarcerous _with her own wand. As the man walked slowly and silently to the door, she couldn't help but think back to when she had entered the room before.

After starting up a batch of cookies, because who could spend their last week of summer vacation without the sugary treat?, she had decided to bring up some food for her guest. She knew he would wake up soon, based on her diagnostic tests anyway, and wanted to make sure he was properly nourished before being bombarded with her questions.

She _was_ a good host afterall.

As she had stepped into the room, she gently laid the tray on the bedside table and watched as the man brought his hand up into a yawn in an _unbearably _adorable way and cracked one eye open at a time. Part of her was actually pretty excited to see all the man's facial features, just so she could figure out who he reminded her of, but before she could so much as introduce herself the man had gripped her tightly, stolen her wand, and batted off her attempts at wandless magic as if they were nothing.

While she was panting harshly, the man had seemed unaffected by what was happening, but Lily knew he wasn't. Within those insanely green eyes was fear, hate, and _hope?_ Suddenly, she realized this man most likely knew Legilimency, for who could do such powerful wandless magic without knowing the complicated magic?, so she shut her eyes as tightly as she could. But her captor didn't try to stop her at all. However, she couldn't keep her eyes closed for long.

Just a few second later her delightfully _stupid _husband decided to call for her. Two pairs of green eyes met for a split second and the man then strode over to the door, hiding behind it with _her wand _raised slightly.

"Lils! Where'd you go? I need your delightful presence while I scarf down your equally delightful food."

Tears silently slid down her cheeks with every step her beloved James took. However, she had a plan. Just as the door was about to be opened she screamed,

"RUN! Get the k-" and then she was silenced.

But it was enough.

The door slammed open, almost ripping it off it's hinges. James ran in, hazel eyes burning with Gryffindor courage and passion. With her eyes, she tried to tell James the danger was behind the door, but it was no use. The second her husband ran in the room, a _stupefy _was shot at his back. She sighed sadly as he fell to the ground, knowing that he would have evaded the spell if he hadn't been so worried for her life.

She looked up to meet the face of her captor and was surprised at what she saw. Sadness and disbelief were prominent, same as the underlying anger and hate. But most of all she saw that blinding _hope. _

Why would her would-be killer feel that at the sight of herself and her husband? However, even while the man tied up her husband and warded the door, she didn't despair. For she knew one thing her enemy didn't.

Help was coming.

* * *

It only took five minutes.

The most surprising and _weird _moments of her life anyhow.

Right after both her and her husband were incapacitated, the man had warded the door with charms _she _didn't even know and carelessly shot a silent _enervate_ at James. Hazel eyes opened in a flash, his strong auror body automatically struggling to get out of his bonds. Her own dark wand was shoved in her husband's neck harshly immediately.

"Do not struggle or I will be forced to make you stop."

The words weren't said with any emotion, just calm fact. Lily made her eyes beg him to agree, and James reluctantly calmed down. Lily's eyes then strayed to the only clock in the room.

_4 minutes to go. _

"Who are you?" The man's emotionless, yet _wild, _eyes turned to face her, those same emotions from before burning within them.

For a few seconds his unnerving eyes just _stared _at her, and just when she thought he'd never answer, he whispered in his surprisingly soothing voice, "Does it matter?" and all she could think was _What the FUCK does that even mean? Of course it matters you psychopath! _But she didn't say anything lest she provoke him.

She let her own green eyes, which were welling up with tears, _without her permission!_, stray to the only clock within the room again.

_3 minutes to go. _

"How about you give us an _actual _answer you bloody wanker instead of this cryptic shit. What the hell do you want?! We have money, heirlooms, the works. Just take it and go!" Of course her husband was also aware of the fact that help was on the way, but thank his Gryffindor soul that he pretended to be clueless. He _definitely _needed to tone down the rage though. Who knew what would set this guy off?

Suddenly, mad chuckles escaped their captor's mouth, and his own delicate-looking hand reached up to hold his chest, which was shaking. They seemed to go on for ages, but the chuckles soon slowly stopped, and the insane grin the man _had _been sporting slid off his face.

"_Money? _You-you think- I…" And then he just started laughing again, as if what her husband had said was the most funny thing in the world. James mouthed to her _What the fuck Lily? _but she didn't respond. All she had eyes for was the clock.

_1 minute. _

The laughter stopped even more abruptly this time, ending with a deep sigh. His eyes shined with madness and disbelief.

"Either you two are the most _stupid _Death Eaters I've ever encountered, or you're the best. Usually his games aren't this intricate _or _last this long, mostly just because of how impatient the bastard is, which I'm sure you're both _intimately _familiar with, but really?"

At this point the man was staring at the ceiling, smiling all the while. "Do you think I'm _that _much of an idiot you crazy arsehole? Takes more than this to break me Tommy boy! I'm not going to play along!"

Seconds later he was right up in their faces, now sporting a grin that couldn't be called anything but malicious. Hatred and just absolute _crazy _shining in eyes that looked _much _too familiar to be comfortable with her all the while.

"I know _exactly _what's going on, and don't think I'm afraid to kill the _both_ of you just because of the faces you're wearing. You can't fool me! Not anymore, not again! Granted, this is new, but-"

_Time's up bitch. _

And the room was filled with white smoke and spells of red, yellow, and purple.


	3. I Open at the Close

Okay, sorry for the pathetically short chapter. I just couldn't continue after the ending. The next chapter will be all about getting questions answered, that whole shebang that no author of these stories manages to push through in under 3 chapters. :D I promise it'll just all be in the next and then the plot will thicken. Lots of questions answered and all. Btw, only 6 reviews for my last amazing chapter? :D I EXPECT MORE FROM YOU. Please review is my point, and I truly hope you like this chapter.

Also! To all my 6 reviewers THANK YOU SO MUCH! Thank you Fenryka, Guest, FalconLux, DaughterofWinter, and other Guest. :) I didn't PM you because you didn't ask any questions, but I do appreciate your reviews just as much! I especially hope each of you enjoys this chapter. :D

Btw, there is one flashback in this chapter, but I couldn't get anything other than the line to pop up, so I'm just going to assume you're all smart enough to realize its a flashback. :D Also, usually point of view changes with a line, but at the end I managed to switch point of views without doing that, so if you get confused, just reread. :D Sorry about that. Anyway, here it goes!

* * *

Chapter 3

I Open at the Close

_"'You'll stay with me?'_  
_'Until the very end,' said James." _  
― J.K. Rowling, _Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows_

* * *

_He looks just like me._

The second he opened his own hazel eyes that's all he could think.

_Just like me. _

The same hair, same jaw, same _everything. _All of it, overwhelmingly _Potter. _Seconds later though, he forgot all of that when his mirror image got all close and personal and stuck his _own wife's wand in his throat. _

Cold, electric green eyes stared into his own hazel, and he suddenly realized that this man looked _nothing _like him at all.

* * *

_Finally. Listening to that crazy asshole's ramblings was getting annoying. _

White smoke filled the room, random flickers of all colors the only thing shining through it. Suddenly, it all dissipated, leaving a surprising sight before James's eyes. Littering the ground were over five bodies, each one completely unconscious. Backed up in the corner was the man that looked like him, _but didn't at the same time because he would __**never **__wear that look on his face, _with his sharp white teeth bared like an animal. His wavy black hair stuck up in all directions, looking as if the magic in the room was electrocuting him. Poisonous green eyes were narrowed with hate and the primal need to survive, making him look all the more like the beast he was.

The few remaining Order members who were conscious pointed their wands threateningly at the man, each of them feeling slight amounts of fear and surprise. This single man had bested over five of their best members _alone. _What could he do when he could see?

The man's frosty gaze swept over each of them, the hate and anger still there, but another emotion James couldn't identify bleeding through. Suddenly, Dumbledore appeared in the room along with Sirius and Remus, who automatically went to untie him and Lily. Right before they could, the man froze unnaturally still, his frigid gaze stuck on the three new occupants of the room.

His mouth opened without his consent, but closed just as abruptly. Cold green eyes bled with barely hidden emotion and Lily's wand clattered to the floor, the man's hands too busy holding themselves over his mouth in shock to even think about holding it.

"S-sirius?"

For one second, James couldn't help but see how _young _this man was. Was he even twenty? Could he be a child? The utter _hopelessness _in his gaze was so powerful and bright James couldn't help but flinch. It was too much. Too much for anyone to live with.

Not even a second later the man let loose a series of dark chuckes, which slowly turned to high-pitched insane laughter. The man's laughter from before had _nothing _on this. With one hand holding his middle and the other over his mouth, the man made quite the sight. If his laughter hadn't been so _damn terrifying, _James was sure he'd make the picture of happiness. Besides those eyes of course. Those eyes...well James wasn't sure _what _he saw in them. All he knew was that he _never _wanted to know.

Suddenly, the laughter stopped and a deep intake of breath was all they heard. The man thumped uselessly to the ground, face completely devoid of an emotion. His hands were shaking though. While everyone else had been watching with horror and confusion, Dumbledore had slowly inched his way forward, a kind twinkling in his eye.

"My boy-"

"NO! You don't get to call me that _god dammit!" _The man had been up in Dumbledore's face with his old, thin throat in his hands in under a second. Dumbledore's twinkling didn't lessen.

"Why do you have to play with me?! W-why can't you just leave me alone." he whispered the second part brokenly. The hands suddenly became lax and fell to Dumbledore's chest, the man heaving and sighing, but not a single tear fell from his painfully bright eyes.

"I'm just so _tired. _I don't wanna play no more. I'm tired of playn' all the time. Can't I just go to sleep like I wanted to?" The man's lost eyes met Dumbledore's own sky blue, seeing, but not seeing at all. Dumbledore said nothing, but smiled kindly down at him and this time, the man couldn't hold back a sob and fell into his arms.

* * *

Warmth.

Right now, that's all he could feel. All he could understand at the moment. He could feel sleep pulling him

down...

down...

down, not allowing a single coherent thought to cross his blissfully empty mind.

_This is how I want to be forever._

And with that single thought it _all _came rushing back. Shadowed eyes sprung open, mouth open in a silent sob.

_Too much, too much at one time. _

He...he hadn't reacted that way since he first saw the Polyjuiced Death Eaters of Ron and Hermione. It had just been a few months after their deaths, too fresh and painful for such things to happen...

* * *

He had first thought he was just hallucinating, and boy was he happy he was. It had been too long since he saw Hermione's gorgeous bushy brown hair and Ron's freckled face. As he saw their faces rushing towards him, he couldn't help but think that if this was insanity, he would gratefully fall into the abyss. But when Hermione's warm brown eyes sharpened into cold shards and Ron's shit-eating grin was replaced with a malicious smirk, he knew this was real.

But not in the way he wanted.

He battled them off, their curses pathetically easy to deflect. He dueled for hours, not willing to watch their faces be replaced with cold _death _again.

_Please God never ever again. _

But when Ron got close enough to grab onto him, he sent a wandless cutting curse on instinct. His own eyes widened with disbelief, while Ron's cornflower blue switched from lively to that fucking _blank _again.

Blank because of him.

He wanted to fall to the floor and just _hug_ him, pretend they were still teenagers and still got to play chess in the Gryffindor common room while complaining about Snape and his slimy Slytherins. Pretend that Ron's smiling face was no longer just a distant memory he would never get to see again. But Hermione- _no not Hermione never Hermione cause she's **dead**_\- continued sending curse after curse. With a painful sob he took care of Hermione next, watching as the life flashed out of her eyes.

_Again. _

He fell to his knees, cradling their broken forms in his hands. Her brown hair and his red tickled his arms. _They felt just like they used to._ And if that thought didn't break him he didn't know what would.

A broken scream forced itself from his lips, and he held onto them for dear life, pain-filled tears raining on their _useless, dead _bodies.

_Bodies he had killed, stolen the life from. _

He buried his face into them, refusing to believe they had left him again. Left him all alone to deal with it all. Like a child, he remembered the promise they had made to him on the Astronomy tower so long ago.

"We're never leaving you Harry. Did you really think after everything you could send us away?"

And he was so angry, so _mad _because isn't that exactly what they did? Left him all alone to deal with Voldemort's sadistic games? He buried his face in Hermione's hair, sobbing harshly when she smelled just like she used to.

He sniffed desperately, just _dying_ for the chance to see their wonderfully _alive _faces again, and he gripped them both tightly, as if that would bring them back, his body shaking and shivering. Right then, he wanted to be dead on the ground with them more than anything else. Suddenly, their forms changed back to their original ones and he pushed them away harshly, refusing to see them for what they were.

_A game. _

But in the darkest part of his heart, a part he didn't even think existed, he was happy Voldemort had done this.

For Harry got to see his best friend's faces one last time.

* * *

Harry gasped again at the memory, but didn't allow himself to sob. If he started, he would never be able to quit. He trapped the memory behind his strongest Occlumency shields and gripped his hair fiercely in his thin hands. He'd give anything for it to stop. He'd already given _so much. _

He breathed in and out deeply, slowly calming his racing heart. With one final sigh, he released his black locks and fell limply on the soft bed. He traced a blue vein with his finger slowly, curious as to why he was still alive. He remembered his breakdown. Of course, part of him didn't believe it was real, for there was no way Voldemort's specialized Polyjuice Potion would work on Sirius. For his newest invention to work, you needed DNA from the alive, or dead, person you wanted to change into. However, Sirius's body had been lost to the Veil.

So how had he done it?

Harry couldn't help the shivers that wracked his small body. Sirius had been the first family he had actually known that he lost. _The first domino to fall and start this horrifying caricature of reality. _In his worst nightmares he had never thought Voldemort would be able to go this far. Apparently, he was wrong. With one last sigh, Harry hardened his mind and body and slowly drug himself away from the bed. He absentmindedly noticed he still had the same clothes on from earlier and wiped the grit from his eyes.

He heard the footsteps long before they reached the door, but unlike with the Lily imposter, he just didn't have the heart to pretend. The last people he wanted to see walked in, each having a distant fearful look in their eye. All except good ol' Dumbledore of course.

_Must you disgrace him in such a way Voldemort? Have you no shame? _

Harry couldn't help but internally applaud the Death Eater for his acting though. He made his eyes twinkle exactly like the long dead Headmaster had. Harry limply sat on the bed; mind, body, and soul too tired to take a fighting stance. He was in Voldemort's clutches for the time being. He would play nice for now, pretend to be broken. Then, he would strike when he least expected it.

Always playing the game.

The fake-Dumbledore's weathered hand reached toward Harry, but Harry gripped it tightly enough to make the bones crack before it reached him.

"Do. Not. Touch. Me. _Death Eater." _The words were said with such hate and disdain that all the other occupants of the room couldn't help but flinch. Each of them were now extremely confused though. Why would a Death Eater call _Dumbledore_ a Death Eater? Bright blue eyes glittered even more, his wildest suspicions proving to be even more true than he could ever imagine.

"But I'm not a Death Eater. I'm Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. Who might you be?" The man's eyes softened, but not with kindness.

"S-stop it. I'm done okay? Quit pretending, there's no point. No more games." The man's green eyes glittered with sadness and utter _pain_, making the Headmaster's own eyes lessen their twinkling a bit.

"I assure you my boy, I'm not intending on playing any games with someone so obviously hurt. Now, would you mind telling us who you are?" Green eyes stared blankly at Dumbledore, then towards the ceiling.

"There's no _use_ in pretending anymore. Didn't you hear me you silly thing? I know you're just a Death Eater polyjuiced as Dumbledore. Just go get your Master. As much as he likes to play, I'm done. I'm not doing it any more." Dumbledore continued to smile kindly down at the broken man, his thin old hand making its way onto his shoulder. The man flinched but did nothing else.

"What can I do to alleviate your suspicions?" Wide eyes narrowed and gripped the thin hand on his shoulder harshly. The man slowly stood, the look of a cornered beast and _something else _shining in his frigid green eyes. The man slowly smirked, the look not quite fitting his pale face, but also perfectly appropriate at the same time.

"Riddle me _this _Death Eater. _What opens at the close._" For a moment, all was silent. Not a single breath was released, all eyes on the Headmaster. Then, Dumbledore slowly began to chuckle- a chuckle that began deep within his throat.

"Death of course, my boy."

And green eyes widened to unimaginable proportions and he dropped to the bed with a pathetic _thump._


	4. IMPORTANT READ

Hey everyone! Turns out I can't delete an account and it now allows you to change your username! (Wow why couldn't that happen before I decided to delete my other one?) I know this must be annoying for those who followed me on my other account, but I'm planning on going back to the other. My username will be the same as on here, but my other stories like Bloody Love and Despicable Darkness with be around. Anyway, this account will no longer be in use. I'm gonna reply to the rest of the reviews on Malicious, but otherwise I will never be on here again. :) Thank you for following this story and I hope to see you on my original account!


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